


23rd of October - in which Keith is held up in his own 'what ifs'

by PenMelody (Skarmoree)



Series: A Metaphorical Trip Around the Sun [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Underage Drinking, birthday fic, but yeah just warning ya, i guess? Its not serious or anything and technically it's not, is it space dad? or is it clone?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 07:16:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16383731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skarmoree/pseuds/PenMelody
Summary: Perhaps in another life, Keith would have looked forward to his eighteenth birthday.Perhaps he would have woken with a smile on his face, rolling over to check the time and springing out of bed.Perhaps he would stumble on the last couple of steps in his haste to get down the stairs.Perhaps his mother, whose face would be clear to him, would place a cake on the table, a smile on the curve of his lips.Happy Birthday Keith!





	23rd of October - in which Keith is held up in his own 'what ifs'

**Author's Note:**

> as y'all know, these fics are like a year old. Sooooooo this came out before s5, and before we met Krolia. lol this was before Keithy boi left w the the Blade of Marmalade (as in: it was written a few weeks before, so actually was complete before the release of s4).
> 
> But yeah, here ya go! Enjoy!

Perhaps in another life, Keith would have looked forward to his eighteenth birthday.

Perhaps he would have woken with a smile on his face, rolling over to check the time and springing out of bed.

Perhaps he would stumble on the last couple of steps in his haste to get down the stairs.

Perhaps his mother, whose face would be clear to him, would place a cake on the table, a smile on the curve of his lips.

Perhaps it would be shaped into an object that clearly identified it as his. A rocket maybe; or maybe it would just be decorated in his favourite colours, blue and red.

Perhaps his father would hand him his first alcoholic drink, slyly handing it under the table with a wink as his mother turned to grab breakfast.

"I'm not allowed!" He would whisper harshly.

"What your mother doesn't know won't hurt her."

Together, they would listen as bacon started sizzling in the kitchen. Keith would raise the drink to his lips and take a sip. Maybe he would like it, maybe he would not. Either way, his eyes would widen as he either chugged the whole can or spat it into the nearest sink or potted plant.

His dad would laugh as he clapped him on the shoulder.

Perhaps he would have been in high school, his senior year. Perhaps his friends would have ambushed him, singing him a loud rendition of happy birthday as he awkwardly tried to shush them.

Perhaps he would offer each of them a slice of cake his mother had made, and they would laugh as one of them managed to get it everywhere.

Perhaps his classmates would give him well wishes throughout the day, Keith thanking them before hurrying to his next class.

 

Yes, perhaps in another life, Keith would have looked forward to his eighteenth birthday.

 

But in this life, Keith was a paladin of Voltron, the legendary defender of the universe. He had bigger, more important things to worry about than his birthday.

Like their current mission, which had of course managed to turn itself into the shit-storm of the century.

At this point, Keith would have been surprised if it hadn't.

"Keith there's one on your tail!" Lance yelled, barrel rolling in Red in an attempt to avoid a few of his own pursuers.

"I'm on it!" He dropped in height, slamming the brakes and letting the Galra fighters fly above him. Then, he fired his weapons destroying them in a quick blast.

"Guys, a little help?" Hunk yelped as a particularly violent shot managed to hit him square in the side. Right, Keith had forgotten. Yellow was not built for speed.

"We've got you, Hunk!" Allura yelled, firing her ice beam at the fighters, stopping them from lining up for another shot. Hunk swivelled, shooting his own laser and shattering them to nothing.

"Team, Pidge is almost done," Shiro said, arms crossed as he observed the battle from the bridge of the Castle. "Just hold out a little longer."

Keith growled as a Galra fighter attempted to get to the Green Lion, which was currently lying limp as its pilot worked furiously on some long range hacking.

"Oh, no you don't." Keith growled, ramming the fighter as hard as he could and watching it fly stupidly into Lance's waiting shot, the paladin letting out a whoop.

He shook his head, whirling Black around to protect Green again.

"Done!" Pidge announced, and Keith waited until her Lion's head moved upward before rushing to help Allura.

"Alright team, back to the hangars!"

Shiro needn't have said anything, as they were already fleeing the scene, holding tight formation to maximise protection. They had what they had come for.

Landing Black in the hangar, Keith pulled his helmet off and relished in the cool air of the hanger as it hit his sweat-caked skin.

He would need a shower after this, that was certain. But first, the debriefing.

 

Lance was last to arrive on the bridge, but no one was mad. "Sorry, got held up by Red." He said, before making his way to his seat and flopping down.

Red was particularly clingy after a mission, Keith knew this all too well.

It was rather hilarious to watch, and frustrating to the pilot. Keith likened it to a cat playing with a mouse. The pilot would get so far, before Red would block their path with her paw.

Yup, clingy is definitely the word.

After the debriefing, the team sat around the kitchen table, talking amongst themselves as they ate dinner.

Shiro was drinking something alcoholic, judging by the smell reaching Keith in his own seat. Suddenly, everything he had been thinking about earlier came rushing back to him, and he let his head thud on the table.

Stupid Voltron and saving the universe. Stupid birthdays. Stupid 'what ifs'.

Something cool tapped against his arm, and Keith looked up to spot a second glass of whatever Shiro had been drinking, having been slid down the table to stop by his place.

Keith didn't hesitate, throwing his head back and chugging the whole thing. He found it to be enjoyable enough, if a little too strong for him. Regardless, it was much better than nunvill, if that was anything to go by.

Keith returned the glass to the table, along with his head, only to hear an offended noise to his left.

"No fair, how come Keith gets a drink?" Lance whined, crossing his arms and slouching down in his seat. Keith raised his head, staring at Lance in disbelief.

"Its a special day for Keith, therefore I don't have an issue with giving him one." Shiro said in what one could call a casual tone, refilling his own glass. "Besides, I reckon he's of age."

"Okay first of all, since when was Keith of age?" Lance scowled. "He wasn't last time you had that stuff, so what changed? And second of all, there's no legal drinking age in Cuba, so  _technically_ I'd be allowed to have one as well."

"It's my birthday, idiot." Keith accepted another glass from Shiro, staring at the liquid so he could avoid everyone's gaze.

"So?" Lance said, only half-hearing Keith's words.

Hunk gave him a flat look, before he held up three fingers.

He lowered one, a smile playing with the corners of his mouth.

Two

One.

"Wait, Keith is  _older_  than me?!" Lance shrieked, slamming his hands flat on the table and standing up, staring at Keith.

Pidge snorted into her food, laughing as Shiro brought his palm up to his face. Lance's ears tinged pink and he sat back down, pouting. "Well, that's beside the point. I still say that I should have a drink."

Shiro looked like he was about to argue, but seemed to think better of it.

"You know what? We're in space. I don't care anymore." He decided, passing his own full glass to Lance, who cheered, took a gulp and immediately started gagging. Hunk thumped him on the back, rolling his eyes.

"Regret it?" he asked.

"Oh, shush. I just wanted to see what the big fuss about it was."

"So..." Pidge spoke up from her end of the table, leaning over so she could see Shiro. "because we're in space...can I have some?"

Shiro raised his hand to his chin, pretending to think.

"Hmmm, definitely not." He concluded, Pidge's hopeful expression melting into annoyance. "Lance and Keith are one thing, but I don't think your father would forgive me."

"So, can I have some then?" Hunk piped up, grinning as Shiro's head hit the table with a thud.

Keith shook his head in amusement. It wasn't the birthday he had pictured, not even close. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to care.

As Hunk disappeared in to the kitchen to whip up some sort of birthday desert and Pidge laughed at Shiro's expense, Keith let himself smile.

 

He wouldn't want it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> And I suppose that marks the end of the _Metaphorical_ series! (imho, this is my least favourite one but ehhh, what can you do?)  
>  Thank you all for reading and have a great day/night/life :P


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